Hairston Doubtful for N.C. State

Clemson starting left offensive tackle Chris Hairston suffered a bruised knee during a motor scooter accident on Saturday evening and is
listed as doubtful for this Saturday's game with NC State.

His status
will be updated after practice on Thursday.

Hairston was examined by Clemson's medical team on Monday and
he does not have any structural damage. Hairston's backup on the depth
chart is freshman Landon Walker. If Hairston can't go and Walker is in the
lineup it would mean Clemson would have three freshmen starting on the
offensive line.

Preliminary research shows that Clemson has not started three
freshmen on the offensive line in the same game since 1943 when the US
Government drafted Clemson's entire junior and senior class for World War
II. That year freshmen Ralph Jenkins, Tom Salisbury, Donald Simpson, Pitts
Seay and Chick Gainer started the last four games of the season at the five
offensive line positions.

Freshman Mason Cloy started at right guard in place of Barry
Humphries against The Citadel. Humphries is out at least four to six weeks
with a knee injury. Cloy responded with a team best 10.5 knockdown blocks
in the win over The Citadel on Saturday. David Smith, a red-shirt freshman
from Greenville, S.C., is starting at left guard.

Hairston, a sophomore from Winston-Salem, N.C., started each of
the first two games this year. He was the third most experienced player on
the Clemson offensive line entering this year.